Written questions by Johnson.

Pursuant to the Answer to Question 85849 on Mechanical Thrombectomy: Health Services, what estimate he has made of the time taken for a patient to be transferred from the referring centre to a hospital offering thrombectomy services after the decision to accept the patient for care.

The National Stroke Service Model and the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service set out an evidenced based pathway for joined-up stroke care throughout the patient journey. The service model sets out that all acute stroke patients should have rapid access to a stroke unit within four hours and receive an early multidisciplinary assessment.The Department does not hold information on transfer times to thrombectomy units in the format requested. The proportion of patients that had access to a stroke unit within four hours has risen to 51.3%, from 47.7% in 2024.Presently there are 24 Comprehensive Stroke Centres offering mechanical thrombectomy services in the NHS in England, covering six out of the seven NHS regions. NHS England has committed that all NHS regions in England will have access to 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy by April 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer to Question 85849 on Mechanical Thrombectomy: Health Services, how many and what proportion of stroke units are in trusts which offer mechanical thrombectomy.

The National Stroke Service Model and the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service set out an evidenced based pathway for joined-up stroke care throughout the patient journey. The service model sets out that all acute stroke patients should have rapid access to a stroke unit within four hours and receive an early multidisciplinary assessment.The Department does not hold information on transfer times to thrombectomy units in the format requested. The proportion of patients that had access to a stroke unit within four hours has risen to 51.3%, from 47.7% in 2024.Presently there are 24 Comprehensive Stroke Centres offering mechanical thrombectomy services in the NHS in England, covering six out of the seven NHS regions. NHS England has committed that all NHS regions in England will have access to 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy by April 2026.

How many NHS Trusts offer robotic assisted surgery.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold trust-level data on the offer of robotic assisted surgery. Decisions to offer robotic assisted surgery are agreed at an integrated care board and trust level, in line with local population need.Our 10-Year Health Plan commits to expand surgical robot adoption over the next decade, in line with The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. We will establish national registries for robotic surgery data from 2029 and develop telesurgery networks. The National Health Service aims to increase the number of robotic-assisted procedures to 500,000 by 2035, up from 70,000 in 2023/24.Earlier this year, NHS England published the first national guidance for the implementation of robotic assisted surgery (RAS) in the NHS, offering guidance on procurement, commissioning, implementation, training, and evaluation. A national steering committee is already in place to support the adoption of RAS, ensure safe implementation, and to oversee the training requirements for surgeons and surgical teams.

What progress it is making on the implementation of the New Hospital Programme.

In January 2025, we published the Plan for Implementation, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-plan-for-implementationThis plan put the programme on a credible and sustainable footing, ensuring taxpayers get maximum value for money. We are committed to delivering all schemes and are moving at pace with the funding in place for design work, construction, and business case development.

How many (i) medical, (ii) dental and (iii) midwifery students it will fund to start studies in 2026.

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school and dental school places on an annual basis. OfS will publish its intake target for the 2026/27 academic year in due course.For the 2025/26 academic year, the OfS has published its intake target at 8,126 for medical school places and 809 for dental school placesUndergraduate training places for midwives are not centrally commissioned by the Government. Instead, they are determined by local employers and education providers who decide the number of learners they admit based on learner demand and provider capacity funding. For the 2025/26 academic year, the number of acceptances for midwifery was 3,390. This data is from 2025 and was taken 28 days after A-level result day. It is not final data. Further information is available on the UCAS website, at the following link:https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/statistical-releases-daily-clearing-analysis-2025The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

With reference to the final report of the Cass Review, published in April 2024, what steps he is taking to help ensure the data linkage study is completed.

A children and young people’s gender research programme, jointly led by NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, is in place to underpin the design and delivery of the new model of National Health Service specialist gender care in England. NHS England is responsible for delivery of the Data Linkage Study. It is a retrospective study based on an analysis of data collected historically for a cohort of adults who, as children, were cared for under a former model of NHS gender care, the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). This study requires no active patient participation and instead relies on an analysis of the available digital information held within health records and other nationally held databases. The analysis will look for potential linkages or associations that do not prove ‘cause and effect’ but nonetheless may provide useful insights on the experience and outcomes of former GIDS patients. NHS England has taken time to undertake due diligence work on the data sources critical to the study, and to work with organisations to refine the planned approach to data sharing. Study approvals are currently in progress. As with usual research practice, the data linkage study protocol will be made available in the public domain once independent research and ethical approvals have been appropriately secured, at which point the analytical work can begin.

How many medical school places are funded for start in 2026.

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school places on an annual basis. OfS will publish its intake target for the 2026/27 academic year in due course. For the 2025/26 academic year, information is available at the following link:https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/finance-and-funding/medicine-and-dentistry-funding/medical-and-dental-maximum-fundable-limits/

How many consultations his Department has launched since 4 July 2024; and if he will list them.

Following the election, the Government outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones, across the missions, for this Parliament.As the House of Commons would expect, the Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer. Public consultations will be available on the GOV.UK website as they are published, at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations?parent=department-of-health-and-social-care&organisations%5B%5D=department-of-health-and-social-care&organisations%5B%5D=office-for-health-improvement-and-disparities&order=updated-newest

What assessment he has made of the reasons for increases in levels of lead poisoning in children.

The UK Health Security Agency coordinates the Lead in Children Exposure Surveillance System, a passive surveillance system covering England, which aims to identify elevated blood lead concentrations, greater than 0.24µmol/L, the equivalent to ≥5μg/dL, in children under 15 years old.Between 2016 to 2020, the annual number of cases ranged between 33 and 49. From 2021 there was a marked increase in the number of cases. The steep rise in reported cases from 2021 onwards is due to a change in the case definition in our surveillance system. Following a review of the evidence of the harm of lead exposure in children, the public health intervention concentration was lowered from 0.48μmol/L, the equivalent to ≥10μg/dL, to 0.24μmol/L, the equivalent to ≥5μg/dL.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of training for people performing (a) newborn hearing tests and (b) audiology testing in children.

Newborn Hearing Screening in England for babies before the age of 12 weeks is part of the nationally approved commissioned screening services. The services are monitored by the Screening Quality Assurance Service (SQAS) to ensure they meet national standards. The SQAS undertakes a continuous improvement cycle of pathway reviews and onsite quality assurance visits to identify areas for improvement across antenatal and newborn screening programmes where a concern is identified, involving appropriate professional clinical advisors from each screening discipline to support the process. Continuous performance data monitoring of services and representation at screening governance boards by the SQAS and commissioners supports this process and there is ongoing targeted work with services identified as needing improvements.There are no nationally approved screening hearing services for children over 12 weeks of age.For clinical referrals, integrated care board commissioners are responsible for ensuring NHS Audiology services meet the needs of patients and that they are delivered to the appropriate quality.My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned the recently published, independent Kingdon review of children’s hearing services in England. Twelve recommendations were made, including focus on commissioning, governance, data and training amongst others. No assessment has yet been made of the potential implications on policies for the recommendations. We are progressing an early analysis of implementation requirements for the recommendations, including resource.Staff working in newborn hearing screening services are required to achieve the training standards set out in national guidance, and regional commissioners work with services to assure compliance with both minimum staffing levels and training requirements.Audiologist training is supported via pathways including the Scientist Training Programme and Higher Specialist Scientific Training programmes. NHS England has undertaken a skills survey across services to assess current capacity and training needs. Support has been put in place for training to ensure practitioners meet nationally agreed standards. This work will provide targeted support to strengthen delivery, and ensure safe, consistent care for children and families.

What steps he is taking to improve audiology screening for (a) children and (b) newborns.

Newborn Hearing Screening in England for babies before the age of 12 weeks is part of the nationally approved commissioned screening services. The services are monitored by the Screening Quality Assurance Service (SQAS) to ensure they meet national standards. The SQAS undertakes a continuous improvement cycle of pathway reviews and onsite quality assurance visits to identify areas for improvement across antenatal and newborn screening programmes where a concern is identified, involving appropriate professional clinical advisors from each screening discipline to support the process. Continuous performance data monitoring of services and representation at screening governance boards by the SQAS and commissioners supports this process and there is ongoing targeted work with services identified as needing improvements.There are no nationally approved screening hearing services for children over 12 weeks of age.For clinical referrals, integrated care board commissioners are responsible for ensuring NHS Audiology services meet the needs of patients and that they are delivered to the appropriate quality.My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned the recently published, independent Kingdon review of children’s hearing services in England. Twelve recommendations were made, including focus on commissioning, governance, data and training amongst others. No assessment has yet been made of the potential implications on policies for the recommendations. We are progressing an early analysis of implementation requirements for the recommendations, including resource.Staff working in newborn hearing screening services are required to achieve the training standards set out in national guidance, and regional commissioners work with services to assure compliance with both minimum staffing levels and training requirements.Audiologist training is supported via pathways including the Scientist Training Programme and Higher Specialist Scientific Training programmes. NHS England has undertaken a skills survey across services to assess current capacity and training needs. Support has been put in place for training to ensure practitioners meet nationally agreed standards. This work will provide targeted support to strengthen delivery, and ensure safe, consistent care for children and families.

What the (a) head count and (b) number of full time equivalent employees was in (i) NHS England and (ii) his Department in each month since February 2025.

This data is published monthly and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dhsc-workforce-management-information#2025

How much the NHS has recovered from patients who were not entitled to free NHS in each of the last three years.

For this answer, we have taken ‘patients who were not entitled’ to mean chargeable overseas visitors.The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England as part of the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. The cash payments received by the National Health Service from overseas visitors are also published annually in the consolidated NHS provider accounts. The following table shows the aggregate income identified, and cash payments received by the NHS in England, from overseas visitors over the last three years:Year2021/222022/232023/24Aggregate income identified£67,000,000£100,000,000£123,000,000Cash payments received in-year£25,000,000£32,000,000£42,000,000Source: The Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts and Consolidated NHS provider accounts.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of the rare disease framework.

The UK Rare Diseases Framework was published following the National Conversation on Rare Diseases, which received nearly 6,300 responses. This helped identify the four priorities of the framework in tackling rare diseases: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs. We have commissioned a portfolio level evaluation of England’s rare diseases action plans with input from the rare disease community on the design of metrics, which is due to complete in 2026.The Government remains committed to improving the lives of those living with rare conditions and will be publishing the next England Rare Diseases Action Plan for rare disease day in 2026, as in previous years. We recognise that despite the progress that has been made there remains considerable unmet need for people living with rare conditions. We are carefully considering the future of the UK Rare Disease Framework and will be announcing our intentions at a later date.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of high caffeine drinks on (a) 14-16 year olds, (b) 16-18 year olds and (c) 18-24 year olds.

On 3 September 2025, the Department published a consultation on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old in England, an important step towards fulfilling a Plan for Change commitment.In the consultation and accompanying impact assessment we set out our assessment of the impact of high-caffeine energy drinks on children. These documents are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-the-sale-of-high-caffeine-energy-drinks-to-childrenWe have not specifically estimated the impact of high-caffeine energy drinks by the age bands of 14 to 16 years old, 16 to 18 years old, or 18 to 24 years old. However, growing evidence sets out an association between consuming high-caffeine energy drinks and a range of possible negative outcomes on children’s physical and mental health, as well as their education.

What steps he is taking to ensure that Doctors who have had their license to practice removed overseas are unable to practice in the UK.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of all medical doctors, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, practising in the United Kingdom. The GMC is very clear that all doctors applying for registration, as well as current registrants, must promptly inform the GMC if any professional or medical regulatory body in the world makes a finding against their registration. The GMC is committed to taking swift action where a doctor has failed to declare this information.When doctors who have been working overseas apply for registration with the GMC, the GMC seeks a Certificate of Good Standing from the regulator of every country where the doctor has practised in the previous five years. This shows whether the doctor is registered with the relevant regulator and if there are any restrictions or sanctions on their practice. The GMC is also implementing additional assurance measures, which include checks via the Federation of State Medical Boards’ Physician Data Centre in the United States.For doctors already registered, the GMC routinely receives information from overseas regulators, including through the Physician Information Exchange. The GMC has written again to European regulators asking that they proactively share information about registrants.

How many and what proportion of Hospital Trust permit men to be cared for on women-only wards.

It is longstanding National Health Service policy that men should not be cared for on women-only wards.NHS organisations submit data on the number of occurrences of unjustified mixing in relation to sleeping accommodation. This data is published monthly and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/mixed-sex-accommodation/

What steps he is taking to help tackle obesity in children.

It is shocking that the latest data from the National Child Measurement Programme showed the highest prevalence of obesity seen in reception age children in England since the programme began, excluding the 2020/21 pandemic peak.We recognise that prevention is almost always better, and cheaper, than a cure. As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the childhood obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.We are also restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years of age, and ensuring the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains fit for purpose. We are working closely with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. The Healthy Start scheme, which aims to support those in greatest need, will have the value of its weekly payments uplifted by 10% from April 2026, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most.In a world first, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large food businesses. We will set new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.Our current promotion and advertising restrictions on less healthy food and drinks use the 2004/05 Nutrient Profile Model to determine which foods are ‘less healthy’. This is plainly out of date. We intend to update the standards applied to these restrictions and will consult on implementation in 2026.We are also working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to develop their cross-Government Food Strategy, which will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help both adults and children live longer, healthier lives.

What criteria his Department uses to measure the success of (a) vaccination and (b) immunisation programmes; and what assessment he has made of the (i) maternity, (ii) neonatal and (iii) adult rsv programmes against this criteria.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published quality criteria for an effective immunisation programme in June 2025 which includes accessibility of clinics, communication, training, and storage. A copy of the quality criteria is attached. These criteria are for National Health Service organisations and local health systems to use. In addition, the NICE guideline NG218 also covers the vaccine uptake recommendation and audit processes, and is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng218/chapter/RecommendationsFor respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine uptake, key performance indicators are included in the NHS public health functions agreement published by the Department on 4 June 2025, and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-commissioning-in-the-nhs-2025-to-2026/nhs-public-health-functions-agreement-2025-to-2026The maternal and older adult RSV programmes were introduced on 1 September 2024. Pregnant women are eligible from 28 weeks, as are older adults who are turning 75 years old, and a catch-up is available for those who were aged 75 to 79 years old at programme launch. The UKHSA monitors vaccine coverage in the maternal programme for infant protection as well as the older adults programme, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rsv-maternal-vaccination-coverage-in-englandhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rsv-older-adults-vaccination-coverage-in-englandIn the most recent monthly reports, 53.7% of June births were protected by antenatal vaccination, and 65.7% of older adults in catch-up cohorts had been vaccinated, an increase of 0.9% from the previous month.The RSV selective immunisation programme for high risk and very preterm infants, using long-acting monoclonal antibodies, began in September 2025 and no coverage assessment has been made.

What steps he is taking to help increase the level of exercise undertaken by children.

The Government recognises the physical and mental health benefits that an active lifestyle can bring for children and young people.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education co-fund the Primary School PE and Sport Premium, which enables schools to support children to have fun and move more through PE, sport, play and other forms of physical activity.As committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan’s Prevention chapter, both departments are also working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to develop a new School Sport Partnerships network that will drive collaboration between schools and break down barriers for those who are less active, increasing opportunities for all children to move more. This is alongside wider cross sector action to reduce physical inactivity and get millions moving more. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-futureIn the summer, DHSC teamed up with Joe Wicks to launch ‘Activate’, a series of animated, fun five-minute workouts to help families and schools tackle inactivity among children.